Recently, we've been thinking about whether to add another car to the household.
We currently have an ordinary gasoline car. It's just right for my daily commute to work and dropping the kids off at school—same route. But my partner's commute is in the exact opposite direction and much longer. He has to take the bus every day, leaving early and returning late. It's really tough.
Considering the convenience and the fact that it's a real need, we thought about getting an electric car. Gas prices are still high, and another gasoline car would be too expensive to run. So we started looking at cars and comparing specs. We went back and forth, comparing several models. There are so many electric car brands now—many I've never even heard of—and the sheer number of models is dizzying.
After a lot of filtering and comparison on cost-effectiveness, daily practicality, and reputation, we finally settled on BYD. It seems to fit our ordinary family's needs perfectly in every aspect.
Yesterday, my partner came home from work with a smile and said that since he's been browsing cars online every day, the algorithm pushed a joke to him: the 'poor man's three-piece set' nowadays is a BYD car, a Huawei phone, and a Huawei watch.
Haha, what a coincidence! We already have the phone and watch. Just missing the BYD, and we'd have the complete set.
Jokes aside, when it comes to actually making the decision to buy, we both hesitated. Although the car we like is within budget and we could afford it, buying a car isn't just a one-time expense. Adding another car means additional fixed costs.
First, there's parking. Our neighborhood is on a strict enforcement road, and parking tickets are common. We don't have our own parking spot, so we rent a neighbor's. If we get a second car, we'd need to rent another spot, plus pay management fees. That's several thousand yuan a year.
Then there's insurance, regular maintenance, charging costs, and so on. All of these are ongoing fixed expenses that add up over time.
Whenever I think about all the extra spending, I just want to hold on tight to our wallet. To buy or not to buy—that is the question.